So the 2014 Oscar nominations came out today. Obviously I'm going to have some things to say about them, because why wouldn't I? If anything is to be learned from this blog it's that I talk about movies way too much. So let's talk more about them shall we? Now this is just some immediate reactions. Not my most well-written work, and it's incomplete because I have yet to see some of the movies nominated, like Nebraska and Blue Jasmine. Working on it. But here's a discussion about the things I have seen, what surprises me, so on and so forth. Enjoy!

Big Winners: 12 Years a Slave, American Hustle, GravityNo big surprise from the first two, however Gravity received 10 nominations, including Best Picture. This is one of the big surprises of the list. Sure it's my current number one movie of 2013 (oh wait that list isn't out yet) but it's also sci-fi movie with a not-entirely-gripping story. We shall see if it sweeps its categories, but American Hustle is also poised to sweep. David O. Russell deserves a lot of credit, as his movies have come out of nowhere and are getting a lot of nominations over the last few years. Additionally I think 12 Years is going to be a big loser here. It will definitely win a few awards, but probably only two or three.

Leonardo DiCaprio and The Wolf of Wall StreetThe hope that he wins Best Actor is alive guys. Definitely the number one performance from the nominations list, it's time to cross our fingers and pray that DiCaprio FINALLY wins his first Oscar. We'll see! Also kudos to the Academy throwing politics out the door and giving Wolf of Wall Street a deserving 5 nominations, including Best Picture.

Big LosersSaving Mr. BanksOnly one nomination for score? Wow. The Lone Ranger received more nominations than it. That's just laughable. What was in my opinion a dark horse to win best picture isn't even nominated for it. Without a doubt the biggest disappointment of this list.

Tom HanksDo we just expect him to be a phenomenal actor now? I predicted that he was going to be nominated for Best Actor for Captain Phillips and Best Supporting Actor for his role as Walt Disney in Saving Mr. Banks. And he gets neither. The Walt Disney role I can understand as it was a great year for the supporting actors, but Captain Phillips? He deserved it more so than Bale did for American Hustle at least! We really do just expect greatness from him now.

Pacific Rim not nominated for Visual EffectsThe Internet has already blown up over this one. This category is for sure Gravity's to lose no matter what, but Pacific Rim's effects were definitely the second best effects of the year. And Lone Ranger is nominated? Those effects weren't even all that good. Criminal.

The Lone SurvivorKinda figured that it wasn't going to get much, but only two nominations? I mean for one, it too deserved to be nominated for visual effects over Lone Ranger.

Big SurprisesBad Grandpa earns a nominationKudos to the Academy for nominating Bad Grandpa for makeup and hairstyling! The best part of that movie was absolutely the job they did turning Johnny Knoxville into Zimmer, or whatever his name is. The grandpa! That guy. Not that it's going to win, as Dallas Buyers Club is a heavy heavy favorite to win that (at least) that category.

THE LONE RANGER RECEIVES TWO NOMINATIONSTHE FREAKING LONE RANGER. One of the worst movies of 2013 has received two nominations, neither of which it deserved. Since it was one of the biggest box office busts of the year, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that there is something under-the-table going on between Disney and the Academy to try to increase DVD sales and warrant a sequel. Not going to happen guys. But I guarantee you all of the sudden there's going to be a big marketing campaign for the movie as they say HEY LOOK! WE GOT TWO NOMINATIONS! GIVE US MONEY. An absolute travesty.

Finally, here's a bold statement: Martin Scorsese beats out David O. Russell for Best Director. Why? Because American Hustle is shot like a Scorsese film. Like Goodfellas or Casino. If Russell wins it's an insult to Scorsese because Russell borrowed so much from him. But we'll see! Anyway my actual predictions will be up soon!

Thanks for reading guys! It's an open discussion so feel free to comment and tell me that my opinions are bad and that I should feel bad etc. etc.

EDIT:Another loser of the nomination list is The Butler. Not one nomination. Not one. Everyone clearly forgot about this movie. (myself included) But it is kind of a shame. The big loser from the movie is Oprah Winfrey. She was a favorite to receive a nod for Best Supporting Actress. Such a shame. I did have a feeling it was going to happen. Sure it was a good movie, but it was rather forgettable, and due to the fact that it came out in August, that's exactly what happened.

I'm not really sure how Bad Grandpa is a surprise. A lot of the predictions had that getting nominated for makeup, and you even say it is deserved. The type of movie it is has nothing to do with whether or not it gets nominated. Which brings me to Lone Ranger. Yes it was an awful, awful film, and maybe it did not deserve the nominations it deserved. However, the fact that you think there is under the table dealings going on between the Academy and Disney is absolutely laughable. One, a sequel is not going to happen, and they are not going to try a sequel. No matter what success it has with DVD sales, reached its budget in box office, and it's generally believed that to make a profit, a movie has to double its budget. DVD sales are not going to save that. Two, movies do not brag about tech Oscars, or if they do, its rare. Especially when Lone Ranger is nominated for several Razzies as it is, so a quick google search of Lone Ranger and Awards is going to pull up Razzies as well. And finally, if Disney were to be doing under the table stuff with the Academy, don't you think they would have focused on Saving Mr. Banks, a movie that shows their rather two-sided creator as an angel? Why waste the effort on Lone Ranger, when you have a movie that would actually benefit from these seedy deals?

As for the comment that if Russell wins director it is an insult to Scorcese. That is ridiculous. Simply ridiculous. Especially when you give him a lot of credit earlier in the article, only to turn around and say he does not deserve an award because he borrows techniques from another director. I'm pretty sure if Russell wins the Oscar(which he might, although I think its really a three way race between he, Cuaron and McQueen, with the latter two having a better chance), I doubt that Scorcese would be insulted. The fact you say it would be an insult is, again, laughable.

As for Leo. It is a shame that his work has not been recognized with an Oscar. That being said. I look at his movies, and yes he has great performances, but I do not see any that I would say are the best of that year. The closest thing would be Django, but that award went to his costar, Waltz, who gave a subtler performance, which the Academy seems to prefer. Could Leo win this year? Sure. But I honestly do not think he will. Most people said that if he got in, he would be sneaking in. From what I've read, from people who have contact with voters, the favorite would likely be either Ejiofor or McCouaughey, as the Academy tends to prefer dramatic roles, and honestly, from what I have seen, these two out-acted Leo. I know you disagree. You have made that perfectly clear. But from the research that I have done, Leo will probably not win. It's a shame, but the Academy does not always have to agree with you, and they are not wrong because they disagree with you.

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